Alu-bhindi Dry (Okra/Lady's finger - Potato dry)

Ingredients :

Onion : 1 No
Potato : 1 No
Tomato : 2 Nos
Lady's Finger : 250 g
Coriander leaves (Chopped) : 1/2 Cup
Dill leaves (Chopped) : 1/2 Cup

Coriander Powder : 1 Spoon
Cumin Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 Spoon

Cooking Oil : 2 Spoons
Mustard seeds : 1 Spoon
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Spoon

Grated fresh coconut : 3 Spoons
Salt

Method :

1. Wash lady's finger & pat them dry.
2. Cut lady's finger into slightly longer pieces ( around 1 to 2 cm).
3. Chop onion & tomato into small pieces.
4. Peel the skin of potato & cut into small cubes.
5. Chop green leaves.
6. Heat oil in a wok , add mustard seeds, while it spluttering add cumin seeds.
7. When cumin seeds changes its colour, add chopped onion & sauté.
8. Once onion turns pink, add potato cubes & fry for 3-4 minutes.
9. Add chopped green leaves & sauté for 1-2 minutes.
10. Add chopped tomato & sauté till tomato becomes soft. 
11. Add lady's finger pieces & turmeric powder. Mix.
12. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder & garam masala powder. Sauté.
13. Add salt to taste .
14. Continue to cook in low flame till lady's finger & potato cubes are cooked well.
15. Garnish with fresh grated coconut & serve hot with rice/chapati.

Notes :

• You can use little water if required while cooking.
• Keep stirring while cooking, to avoid the sticking of vegetables to wok.

Shrikhand - Cardamom Flavour

Here is the simple recipe to prepare shrikhand.


Ingredients :

Curd: 3 Cups
Sugar : According to taste  (I have used 2 Cups )
Cardamom pods : 2-3 Nos
Dry fruits ( Crushed ) : 1/2 Cup

Method :

1. Hang curd in muslin cloth, till the water content from curd is drained off.
2. In a mixer, add sugar & cardamom pods. Powder them.
3. Take out thick curd from the muslin cloth & add sugar cardamom powder.
4. Now add crushed dry fruits & Mix well.
5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours & serve.    

Note :                                              

• If curd is sour, then adjust sugar accordingly.
• You can use any flavour like saffron / mango / strawberry / vanilla etc  

Bhaji for pav

Ingredients :

Potato : 3 Nos
Cauliflower : 1/2 Cup
Beetroot : 1 No
Beans : 10 Nos
Capsicum : 1/2
Green Peas : 1/2 Cup
Onion : 2 Nos
Tomato : 2 Nos

Ginger : 1" piece
Garlic : 10 Cloves
Coriander Powder : 2 Spoon
Cumin Powder : 1/2 Spoon
Garam Masala : 1 Spoon
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Salt

Mustard seeds : 1 Spoon
Cooking oil / Butter / Ghee : 4 Spoon

Chopped Onion : 1/2 Cup
Lemon : 1 No

Method :

1. Pressure cook potato, green peas, beetroot,beans, cauliflower & capsicum.
2. Mash the cooked vegetables / grind the cooked vegetables to smooth paste.
3. Chop onion & tomato. Finely chop ginger & garlic.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, while seeds spluttering add finely chopped ginger & garlic. Fry till raw aroma disappears.
5. Add chopped onion; Fry till onion turns pink.
6. Add chopped tomato, cook till tomato becomes mashy.
7. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder & chilli powder. Sauté.
8. Add mashed vegetable mix  & sauté.
9. Garnish with chopped Onion & lemon piece.
10.  Serve with Hot butter/oil/ghee roasted Pav.

Note:

• Ginger garlic paste can be used instead of fresh ginger garlic.
• Bhaji can also be served as side dish for chapati.

Red masoor dal ( ಕೆಂಪು ಮಸೂರ್ ಬೇಳೆ ತೊವ್ವೆ )

Ingredients :

Red masoor dal : 1 Cup
Tomato : 2 Nos
Onion : 1 No
Garlic : 10 seeds/cloves
Chopped Spinach : 1 cup
Chilli powder
MTR ramam powder : 1 Spoon
Coriander powder : 1 Spoon
Cumin powder : 1/2 Spoon
Turmeric powder : 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves
Cooking oil : 2 Spoons
Mustard seeds : 1 Spoon
salt
Asafoetida : a pinch
Coriander leaves : chopped 1/2 cup

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add mustard seeds, while it sputtering add curry leaves , crushed garlic & chopped onions. Sauté well till onion turns pink. Add spinach & sauté.
2. Add chopped tomato & saute well. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, MTR rasam powder , turmeric powder & asafoetida. 
3.  Add masoor dal & 3 cups of water. Add salt 
4. Cook for 5-6 whistles.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves & serve hot.

Potato Gojju

Ingredients:

Potato : 2 Nos
Curd : 2 cups
Salt : According to taste
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Cooking oil : 2 Spoon
Mustard seeds : 1 spoon
Curry leaves
Chilli byadagi : 1 No


Method:

1. Pressure cook potato, peel the skin & mash it.
2. Add mashed potato to curd, add salt.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, let it splutter . Add byadagi chilli ,chilli powder &curry leaves.
4. Add the seasoning to potato curd mix.
5. Serve with rice.

Note :

• You can use green chillies
• Also while seasoning you can add asafoetida.

Potato sagu

Potato sagu served with either rava idli / chapati or set dosa. This recipe is very simple & quick one & tastes similar to that of restaurant sagu.

Ingredients :

Potato : 5-6 Nos
Onion : 2 Nos
Tomato : 2 Nos
Green chilli : According to taste.
Besan flour : 2 Spoon
Turmeric powder : 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder : 1 spoon
Cumin powder : 1/2 Spoon
Asafoetida : A pinch
Salt : According to taste
Mustard seeds : 1 spoon
Cooking oil : 2 spoon
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

1. Cook potatos properly in pressure cooker.
2. Chop onions & keep aside
3. Grind green chillies, tomato & basan flour till very smooth paste & keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a tawa, add mustard seeds, while it splutters add chopped onion & fry till onion turns pink.
5. Add curry leaves & sauté.
6. Add green chilli, tomato & besan powder  puree & add salt. Saute well.
7. Bring to boil & garnish with coriander leaves. 

Note:

• You can add chopped tomatoes & green chillies instead of adding puree.
• You can even add cooked green peas / channa dal to the sagu.

Sweet Pumpkin curry ( ಚೀನೀ ಕಾಯಿ /ಕೆಮ್ಮುಂಡೆ ಕಲಸು )

Ingredients :

Sweet pumpkin -Cut into medium sized pieces -2-3 cups
Grated coconut : 1-1 1/2 cups
Chickpea Black (soaked) : 1/2 cup
Salt : According to taste
Jaggery powder : 1 table spoon
Green chilles : 1-2 Nos
Cumin seeds : 1 spoon
Turmeric powder : 1/2 spoon
Tamarind : 1/4 lemon sized
Mustard seeds : 1/2 spoon
Cooking oil : for tempering
Curry leaves

Method :

1. Pressure cook soaked chickpea.
2. Cook sweet pumpkin with little water & mix with cooked chickpea.
3. Grind coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds,turmeric powder , pinch of salt & tamarind to smooth paste with little water. 
4. Add the coconut paste to cooked pumpkin&chickpea & mix well.
5. Add jaggery & salt according to your taste.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Heat oil in pan, when mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves.
8. Add this tempering to sweet pumpkin curry.

Note : 

• Cook sweet pumpkin with little care, since pumpkins are so soft once cooked . They will just get mashed up, if over cooked.
• You can use any king of chickpea.
• The curry is not spicy one , hence 1 or 2 chillies are used.

Bitter gourd Kosambari

Ingredients : 

Bitter gourd  : 4 Nos
Onion : 3-4  Nos 
Mustard seeds  - For tempering
Coriander seeds : 2-3 spoons
Chilli Byadagi - According to your taste
Grated Coconut - 6 spoons
Cooking oil - 3 spoons
fenugreek seeds - 1/4 spoon
urad dal - 1 spoon for tempering
salt : According to taste
Tamarind - 1 Small lemon sized
Curry leaves (optional)

Method: 

• Chop bitter gourd into small pieces and soak in salt water for overnight( Soaking in salt water is to reduce the bitterness).
• Next day take out the chopped bitter gourd & remove excess water by squeezing. Keep aside.
• Chop onions into small pieces and keep aside.
• Heat 1 spoon of oil in pan, add squeezed bitter gourd & fry till it becomes crispy.Keep aside.
• Fry Coriander seeds, grated coconut,fenugreek seeds, chilli byadagi in a pan with little oil till fenugreek splits & aroma spreads around.Grind these ingredients with little water, tamarind & required amount of salt till coarse mixture. 
• Now in the same pan, heat 1 spoon of oil, add urad dal, mustard seeds. let mustard seeds splutter, add chopped onions and fry till onion changes its color.
• Add fried bitter gourd and coarse mixture, mix well. 
• Heat in low flame till the water content evaporates.(It helps to save for 2-3 days without refrigerating)
• Serve with rice/curd rice.

Note : Kosambari tastes very good if oil is replaced by ghee.
          I have used microwave oven to make bitter gourd crispy. It saves time & easy compared to frying in pan.

Cabbage-carrot Palya

Fed up of eating same cabbage palya...So I was thinking to prepare something different ... Just peeped into the refrigerator...Found so many fresh carrots :)  I have decided to mix carrot with cabbage....

Here goes the recipe: 


Ingredients: 
Cabbage : 1 No (finely chopped)
Carrot : 2 Nos (cut into small pieces)
Tomato : 2 Nos
Cooking Oil: 2 Spoons
Mustard Seed ,Jeera(cumin) seeds & Urad dal for tempering
Coriander powder - 1/2 Spoon
Jeera Powder: 1/2 Spoon
Chilli Powder, Salt, Jaggery :  to taste
Curry Leaves (Optional)
Coriander leaves (Optional)


Method:

• Prepare tomato puree.
• Take a tawa, add cooking oil, mustard seeds, jeera seeds,urad dal & curry leaves. Let mustard seeds splutter & Urad dal changes its color.
• Add carrot (cut into small pieces), fry for 5 sec. 
• Add finely chopped cabbage.
• Add Jeera powder, coriander powder.
• Add water as required with salt, chilli powder & jaggary to taste.Mix properly.
• Cook cabbage & carrot in medium flame.
• Once its cooked add grated coconut & mix well.
• Keep it low flame till all water evaporates.
• Now decorate with coriander seeds & serve with rice/chapati..